Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 289 Empress Wu's Insurance
After Xu Jingzong returned to the Ministry of Rites, he could not sit still and paced back and forth in his office.

The look Empress Wu had given him just now, as well as the emperor's attitude, made him keenly aware that his chance to regain the emperor's favor was right in front of him.

The emperor would not call him over for no reason, especially to listen to a woman talking about Baekje.

The intention was obvious. The emperor wanted to tell him that if the Tang Dynasty conquered Baekje, it would only attract the covetousness of Silla.

Now is not a good time to attack Goguryeo.

Considering that the emperor did not express his opinion during the morning court session, it was obvious that he did not want to attack Goguryeo.

However, this time there were too many ministers who supported the attack on Goguryeo, and Li Ji was the leader, so the emperor could not directly oppose it.

That's why she let him go over and used the Baekje woman's words just now to hint that he should step forward to stop this matter.

As long as he could gain the emperor's favor, Xu Jingzong would not frown even if he went against all the civil and military officials in the court.

The problem is that even if he opposes alone, it will not have much effect and cannot relieve the emperor's worries.

The only solution now was for him to organize and contact those ministers who opposed this matter.

Only by using his eloquence to persuade those ministers who remained neutral could he stop Li Ji and others.

This is also an opportunity.

If he, as the leader, could stop Li Ji, the leader, his prestige in the court would surely increase greatly.

Although this matter will offend many people, at his age, such opportunities are rare and it may be the last time. He must fight with all his might!
Xu Jingzong had made up his mind, but who to contact was still a problem.

People like Zhang Wenguan held too low an official position to play a big role.

Li Jingxuan didn't say anything just now, but if he persuaded him a little, he should be able to be persuaded.

Li Yifu was a man without any stance, and he followed the emperor's lead in everything. As long as he revealed the emperor's intention, Li Yifu would definitely agree.

Although the two had fallen out, Xu Jingzong was able to distinguish the important from the unimportant in major matters and put personal grudges aside.

The words of these two people alone are far from enough.

Suddenly, Xu Jingzong remembered.

Just now, at the end of the court meeting, the person who helped the emperor out of trouble was the Minister of War Xiao Siye. This person should also be able to be won over.

Xiao Siye is now considered a representative figure of the aristocratic faction. If he can be won over, a large force can be won over.

Xu Jingzong immediately left the house and walked towards the Ministry of War.

When he arrived at Xiao Siye's office, Xu Jingzong first made a few polite remarks, and then used the recent court meeting to test Xiao Siye's attitude towards attacking Goguryeo.

Xiao Siye had already seen through his intention, but he avoided the topic and did not express his opinion.

Xu Jingzong had no choice but to throw out some chips and tell the emperor a part of what happened just now.

After listening to this, Xiao Siye's eyes gleamed slightly, and he said, "From this perspective, Lord Li's method of attacking Goguryeo is not perfect either."

Seeing that he had finally expressed his opinion, Xu Jingzong smiled and said, "Lord Li once attacked Goguryeo. If the Saint agrees to send troops, he will most likely choose him as the commander."

This means that Li Ji's attack on Goguryeo was actually out of selfish motives.

Xiao Siye sighed, "I can understand Lord Li's feelings to some extent, but the affairs of state are of paramount importance. How can we act on impulse?"

The two of them continued to test each other with words, and gradually found out each other's attitudes, knowing that the other party was a like-minded person.

Xu Jingzong smiled and said, "After leaving the government office, I will invite Brother Xiao to my house. How about we have a drink together?"

There were too many officials to deal with this time, and it was not convenient for the Ministry of War to speak. Xu Jingzong wanted to invite Xiao Siye to his home for a detailed discussion.

Xiao Siye smiled slightly and said, "The Ministry of War has been relatively idle lately, and I've finished what I was working on."

He can't wait.

Xu Jingzong said with a smile, "The Ministry of Rites is a quiet office. Why don't you and I leave immediately and go to my house for a drink?"

Xiao Siye smiled and said, "It is better to obey than to be respectful."

The two talked as they walked, left the palace together, and returned to Xu's house in a carriage.

Xu Jingzong had not had much contact with Xiao Siye before and only regarded him as a military general.

At this moment, I suddenly discovered that this person was very talkative, had extraordinary insights in both civil and military affairs, and was indeed a capable person.

When he arrived at Xu's house and walked in the courtyard, Xiao Siye suddenly noticed a figure flash by in the distance.

He had excellent eyesight. Although he could not see the other person clearly, he recognized from his figure that the man seemed to be Xu Jingzong's son Xu Ang.

"Brother Xiao, what's wrong?" Xu Jingzong saw him suddenly stop and turned around to ask.

Although Xiao Siye noticed something strange, he thought to himself that this was someone else's family affair and there was no reason for him to interfere. It would not estrange the relatives and reminding Xu Jingzong would not necessarily end well.

"Nothing, I just think the pattern on the screen wall is interesting." Xiao Siye said with a smile.

Xu Jingzong laughed out loud and said, "Please come in." He led him to the main hall and ordered a servant to ask Yu to make tea herself and bring it to the main hall.

Although Yu was the second wife and now the mistress of the Xu family, Xu Jingzong asked her to make tea, which shows how much he valued Xiao Siye.

The two waited for a long time before Yu came hurriedly, which made Xu Jingzong quite dissatisfied.

If there were no outsiders present, he would have been scolded immediately.

Xiao Siye stood up and respectfully saluted Yu. When Yu was about to leave, Xu Jingzong suddenly asked, "Madam, why is your face so red?"

Yu touched her cheek and said, "Maybe it's because I was exposed to the sun just now and it turned red."

Xu Jingzong nodded, then waved his hand to let her leave.

After the two men finished drinking tea, Xu Jingzong led Xiao Siye to the study, ordered the old servant to guard outside the study, and told Xiao Siye the whole process of the audience just now.

"Brother Xiao, the Saint's thoughts are very clear. I am old and frail. Even if I want to share the Saint's worries, I am powerless. I have no choice but to ask you for help."

Xiao Siye raised his hand and said, "Mr. Xu, your words are too formal. This morning at court, I noticed that the Sage seemed to disapprove of attacking Goguryeo, but I wasn't sure, so I used the Khitan issue as an excuse."

Xu Jingzong smiled and said, "Brother Xiao, you are very perceptive. I admire you."

Xiao Siye pondered and said, "Lord Xu, you saw the commotion in the court just now. I'm afraid you and I alone can't stop this."

Xu Jingzong said, "That's right. That's why you and I need to find more people and persuade them to oppose it. As long as we can achieve a balance of power with Li Ji and others, it will be natural for the Sage to oppose it."

Xiao Siye said solemnly, "Then I will immediately contact the ministers I know well." Xu Jingzong bowed and said, "I will also try to find more people."

In fact, both of them knew that with the emperor behind them, this was a situation where they had no chance of losing.

Rather than trying to win over others, it is more like taking advantage of the emperor's will and taking the opportunity to show favor to others.

As long as you stand on the right side this time, your impression of the emperor will improve.

This is a temptation that is hard to refuse for most officials.

After Xu Jingzong saw Xiao Siye off, he went straight to Li Yifu's mansion without stopping.

Li Yifu was the prime minister and had a grudge against him, so it was not appropriate to invite him to his house directly, so he went to visit him in person.

After arriving at Li's house, the servants told him that Li Yifu had not returned home.

Xu Jingzong had no choice but to wait in the side hall, but after waiting for a long time, Li Yifu still did not come back.

Xu Jingzong slapped his forehead and suddenly remembered that Li Yifu might have already left the government office, but just didn't return to his home.

Li Yifu was a playboy. He kept Chunyu as his concubine in a small courtyard. After Chunyu's husband died, he was dismissed from his position as prime minister.

Later, he married Chunyu as his concubine and brought her home, but he did not change his character. He secretly bought a small courtyard in Changshoufang and kept a new woman.

This matter is very secretive and only a few people know about it.

Xu Jingzong had always wanted to deal with Li Yifu, so he found out about this matter.

He immediately left Li's house, took a carriage, and went straight to the Changshoufang courtyard, where he knocked on the door.

A bald old doorman opened the door and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Xu Jingzong asked, "Is Mr. Li at home?"

The old man was surprised and said, "Who are you and what do you want from Alang?"

Xu Jingzong said with a smile, his hands behind his back: "Please tell Li Xianggong that Xu Jingzong wants to see you."

The old man obviously knew his name and hurried to inform him.

After a long while, Li Yifu came out in a long gown, looked at Xu Jingzong, and said calmly: "I asked my nephew to buy this courtyard, but I didn't expect that I couldn't hide it from Mr. Xu."

Xu Jingzong smiled and said, "Prime Minister Li, there is no need to be so vigilant. I came to see you with no ill intentions."

Li Yifu leaned slightly to the side and said with a smile, "Then please come in."

There is also a small study in the yard, which contains many rare books. This shows that Li Yifu often lived here.

After Xu Jingzong sat down, he glanced outside the door.

Li Yifu poured him a cup of tea and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Mr. Xu. There are only two old servants here. They are both my confidants. If you have anything to say, just speak frankly."

Xu Jingzong picked up his teacup and said in a deep voice, "What does Prime Minister Li think of the situation in the court today?"

Li Yifu took a sip of tea and asked, "Mr. Xu, are you referring to the ministers' request to attack Goguryeo?"

Xu Jingzong said, "That's right. What does Li Xiang think about this?"

Li Yifu said with a smile: "Mr. Xu, we know each other well, so there is no need to test each other. Let's just speak frankly."

Xu Jingzong said: "That's true, well, I just had an audience with the emperor..."

He told Li Yifu about the scene of meeting the emperor.

Li Yifu's eyes flickered. "Mr. Xu, are you telling me this because you hope to join me in opposing Li Ji and his group's proposal to attack Goguryeo?"

Xu Jingzong stared at him: "Exactly."

Li Yifu thought for a while and said, "Since that is your majesty's wish, I have nothing to say."

Xu Jingzong laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid that I am lying to you?"

Li Yifu said, "Although there are some misunderstandings between you and me, I believe that Lord Xu is a man who would not deceive me with such a thing. Moreover, His Majesty did seem to have some concerns in the court today."

Xu Jingzong smiled and said, "That's a deal. In a few days, I will invite all those who oppose this matter to my house, and we will discuss it in detail."

Li Yifu agreed.

The wheels rolled, and Xu Jingzong's carriage gradually went away.

Li Yifu stood at the door, watching the carriage disappear into the street, with a thoughtful look on his face.

A pair of white arms hooked around his neck and pulled him into the house.

A pair of rouge-covered lips came close to his ear and whispered softly, "What does Xu Jingzong want you to do?"

Li Yifu turned around and put his arm around Lady Jiang's slender waist, saying with a smile, "What do you think?"

Concubine Jiang smiled sweetly and said, "He must have told you about his recent meeting with the Emperor, so that you can join him in opposing Li Ji and the others."

Li Yifu took her hand and went back to the house, sighing, "This old fellow is old, but his ambition for fame and success has not diminished at all. It seems that the position of leader will be snatched away by him."

Concubine Jiang came to see him, actually under the instructions of Empress Wu, to tell him about this matter.

Wu Meiniang had already seen that Li Zhi did not want to attack Goguryeo, and she also knew that he had just hinted his attitude to Xu Jingzong.

However, Xu Jingzong was too old, and Wu Meiniang was worried that he would not be able to understand the emperor's intentions and would make mistakes. So she took the precaution of letting Jiang Shanggong come to find Li Yifu.

Unexpectedly, Xu Jingzong's eagerness for fame and fortune exceeded her expectations. As soon as Li Yifu heard about the situation from Jiang Shanggong, Xu Jingzong came to his door.

Jiang Shang Gong sat on the bed and smiled, "You are the Prime Minister. Even if he comes to you, doesn't he have to be the leader?"

Li Yifu shook his head and said, "No, I'm definitely not the first person he would look for."

In fact, deep down in his heart, he did not want to be the leader and directly confront Li Ji, Yu Zhining and others.

When the leader challenges Li Ji, if he succeeds, the benefits will indeed be huge, but he will also offend many people.

Li Yifu has been appointed as prime minister and is no longer willing to fight as hard as before.

Since Xu Jingzong took the initiative to take on this matter, it was exactly what he wanted.

The two of them cuddled for a while longer. After completing her mission, Concubine Jiang took a carriage back to the palace to report to Empress Wu.

(End of this chapter)